Graphics cards commonly receive electrical power from a computer system board, for example, through a PCI Express (PCIe) connection. However, as the processing power of video cards has increased, so has their requirements for power. At the same time, computer system boards are often limited in the amount of power that they may provide. For example, the PCIe specification limits the power supply from the computer system board to 75 Watts.
As a result, graphics cards that require more power may receive power from sources other than a computer system board, for example, graphics cards may receive power directly from a power supply unit. Such graphics cards may connect with the power supply unit through a connector that is separate from the connector that connects the graphics card to the computer system board.
Some graphics cards may require so much power that two separate connectors are required. While the demand for graphics cards with a smaller form factor increases, the printed circuit boards included in the graphics cards become more densely populated. At the same time, manufacturers prefer to accommodate graphics card standards and specifications that require specific sizes and placement of the connectors, for example, the PCIe specification. For this reason, some graphics cards may include two printed circuit boards that are positioned in parallel, where each board may include a connector that is positioned across from the other connector. However, including two separate connectors is costly and disconnecting at least one of the connectors may be difficult without the use of a tool when the connectors are positioned across from each other.
Other graphics cards include only one board that may include two connectors 104 and 108 positioned side-by-side (see FIG. 1A). Such a side-by-side connector configuration 110 may consume valuable area on the board (see FIG. 1B). In addition, such a side-by-side connector configuration may disadvantageously affect the placement or quality of a cooling fan 106 (see FIG. 1B). For example, due to inherent factors in graphics card design and other limitations such as specification limitations or OEM requirements, the power connectors may be located either directly under or directly adjacent to the fan 106. The former location directly affects the geometry of the fan 106, while the latter location indirectly affects fan size by impacting the shape of a scroll 106, which may be necessary on blower-style fans to help develop air flow effectively.
Moreover, as the power consumption of graphics cards has increased, manufacturers have relied on larger fans to cool components of the graphics card. The fan size may be limited by the size and location of the power connectors. In addition, a connector may encroach on a portion of the scroll of the fan, requiring the scroll to include an indentation or inset portion. As a result, the airflow of the fan may be obstructed, causing inefficient air flow and acoustic noise in the environment.
While some specifications may permit the use of an adapter that couples a standard connector to a proprietary connector which attempts to address these issues, such an adapter may be prohibitively costly and less convenient for a user.